Hyperthermia "Ballistic Mindshades" CD
[self-released]
After a rather uneventful intro of random ambient noises, screams, and the sounds of glass breaking, these guys roll on into some crunchy modern metal that blends the simpler side of the rhythmic math metal kind of groove with crushing metalcore breakdowns for a relatively straightforward and midpaced attack. The vocals are basically shouted under a light filter of distortion with backing screams or gang shouts at times. I'm not totally into the vocals, and the music can get too groovy for me at times, but I think the fucked up recording is what's doing more damage than anything. First off, the drums sound programmed, but they're not, so they really need to work on scoring a better sound for the percussion. Right now it's all taut and thin with no oomph at all. I'm not picking out a great deal of bass either, and the guitars have a weird sort of overcompressed distance to 'em, so there are shitloads of gaps in the mix. I'm not saying a good recording would solve all of their problems, but it would definitely cast a different light on these songs. A lot of the stuff kind of strikes me as a Biohazard/Soulfly kind of combo, or at least something that might go over with portions of that whole crowd. I'm not blown away by any one song at all, I think there are promising moments to some of the heavier breakdowns, and "Spidered Glass" has a little more happening dynamically, but for the most part there's too much emphasis on groove without much regard for actual memorable or powerful songwriting. I'm not bothered by the fact that there's no great diversity or that some of the songs are overly simple, I just think they need to pick and choose their central riffs better... though admittedly picking up the pace now and then wouldn't hurt. The layout here is fucking atrocious though, hands down... sorry, I can't lie. I'll admit that I like the way they scanned the handwritten lyrics. Were they not so pixilated that would've looked cool, but the fonts are all terrible, the weird effects over the band photos are goofy, and the cover is fucking awful. I can't tell what the hell's supposed to be going on, but none of it represents the music properly at all. The lyrics are straightforward and personal, nothing special, but I've seen worse, so... I don't know. There's a definite air of immaturity about the layout, and that's not something they need to be messing with. So, this isn't my thing at this point. First and foremost clean up the recording, that's a big one, then work on nailing down a more intense songwriting focus, and beyond that? Put some more effort into the visual presentation. There's enough meat here to where I feel bad having to be so hard on these guys, but... I have to express my honest opinions, you know? (4/10)
Running time - 20:26, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Spidered Glass, Seven]
Hyperthermia - http://www.hyperfreak.com

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